


执子之手，与子偕老

by hoeunki



Series: huang family shenanigans [1]
Category: NCT (Band), WAYV
Genre: Chores, Domestic Fluff, Family Feels, M/M, Surprises, dads!luren, mark appears for one second
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:54:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22695862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoeunki/pseuds/hoeunki
Summary: 执子之手，与子偕老 (zhí zǐ zhī shǒu, yǔ zǐ xié lǎo) - hold your hand, grow old with yousome may think that years into marriage and a daughter would make a relationship a little different. maybe it does. if anything, lucas is more in love with renjun than he was ten years ago.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Series: huang family shenanigans [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1632475
Comments: 14
Kudos: 127





	执子之手，与子偕老

**Author's Note:**

> miss hoeunki makes her 2020 comeback with more fluff? absolute shocker.
> 
> (unbeta-ed, as usual :P)
> 
> ppl who follow me on twt have probably seen tiny drabbles about luren and their daughter but here's her ao3 debut!! enjoy :)

Renjun was always the more detail-oriented one between the two, but he also had the tendency to a bit of a scatterbrain. It was cute. Lucas smiled fondly at his husband who was skittering here and there, hurriedly packing his messenger bag and grabbing a stack of papers, a folder, his favourite flask. 

"Babe, slow down," Lucas chuckled, as he finished Lihua's riceballs. He packed them neatly into her lunchbox, alongside her sausages and homemade kimchi. "You still have a lot of time."

In his rush to grab his lunch from the fridge, Renjun nearly tripped on their folding stool. Lucas instantly reached for his waist to steady him, and Renjun mumbled a sheepish "whoops," as he regained balance.

"We have quizzes first period and there's a staff meeting before home room that I completely forgot about," Renjun sighed, as Lucas pulled him close and pressed his lips against his temple. 

Lucas brushed Renjun's fringe from his eyes, tucking the stray hairs behind his ears. "I would drive you, but I gotta get Lihua to school." 

"It's alright," Renjun tiptoed up for a kiss, "I can manage." 

As he pulled away, Lihua came sliding out of the hallway in her sushi-patterned socks, backpack in one hand and her water bottle in the other. 

"Daddy!" she pointed her bottle at Lucas. "Hurry up and get ready or I'm gonna be late!" 

"Alright, alright," Lucas conceded, untying his apron and setting it on the counter. "Your lunch is here, okay?" 

"Yessir!" saluted Lihua. She gave him a sly wink as Renjun turned his back to adjust the crimson scarf that Lucas had picked for him today.

"I'm leaving now," Renjun called, slipping on his boots. "Love you both, see you later."

Lihua sent a flying kiss to her Papa, who caught it and patted his cheek sweetly before returning the gesture. Lucas mouthed "I love you too,” grinning as he saw the tinge of pink that appeared on Renjun's cheeks as he turned towards the door.

Once he had left and the door clicked shut, Lucas and Lihua exchanged a glance. Then a giggle. And then Lihua was jumping into his arms, squealing as he spun her. 

"He didn't say anything!" she laughed excitedly.

"Papa's a busy man," Lucas replied, booping Lihua's nose with his thumb. "If he remembered what day it was today, we'd be in trouble." He set her down and straightened her tie and vest. 

"Now, you remember the plan?" he asked. 

Lihua nodded, braids bouncing with the movement of her head. "I go to school alone, you do your stuff and pick me up as soon as the bell rings, we buy flowers, bake cookies, and when Papa comes home we give him a hug and a big kiss!"

Lucas smiled and pinched her cheek as he stood. "That's my girl."

She beamed, and gasped when she glanced at the clock behind her father. "I'M GONNA BE LATE!" she screamed, grabbing her lunch and bag and jacket, stopping to give Lucas one last hug before sprinting out the door with her shoes half-on.

"ByedaddyIloveyoudon’tbelate!" 

"Stay safe!" Lucas hollered, right before the door clicked shut. 

The silence that followed was rare. Not uncomfortable, just different. Lucas was so used to Renjun blasting music or Lihua watching cartoons on TV. And if they weren't doing either, he probably was. 

Lucas took a long look around their apartment. There were stuffed toys lying around the living room (Lihua's fault—she always brought them out for movie nights), books on random surfaces, a sock underneath the dining table. No crumbs, thankfully. Renjun hated crumbs on the floor. But it was messy. They usually cleaned it on the weekends, but last week was busy for everyone and Lucas got lazy during the weekdays. After a day's worth of handling preschool kids, a night of relaxation was a true luxury. 

Valentine’s wasn’t a big occasion in the Huang household, not after Lihua started getting older. Back when they were dating, they did the whole bouquet buying and sappy letters, the self-composed songs and balloons. Lucas would get Renjun assorted chocolates and they’d eat the whole box in one sitting while watching documentaries or cooking shows.

(On their five year anniversary, Renjun gave Lucas a _very special_ present. It still made Lucas blush whenever he thought about it.)

But married life introduced more subtleties to their love. Renjun insisted he was content with just one flower, and in turn he’d buy Lucas something nice, like a bracelet or a watch. They’d go on dates from time to time, visiting the museum and the theatre, going down to the boardwalk or a festive market (sometimes taking Lihua, if she was keen on tagging along). Anniversaries were more toned down as the years went by–a special dinner, a marathon of their favorite movies. It wasn’t that Lucas didn’t like that, but for a while he’d been wanting to do something special for Renjun. Something unexpected and big, to make him really smile. 

Renjun always did so much for their family. He’d sort the laundry so that Lucas didn’t have to before he loaded up the washing machine. He always left notes and reminders on the fridge so that Lihua never forgot a test and Lucas picked up the right groceries. He killed the nasty cockroaches when no-one else wanted to. He cooked breakfast for them every weekend, without fail. Lucas knew that Renjun didn't ask for anything in return, but Lucas also liked to spoil him. Nothing less than perfect for the love of his life, after all. 

The first thing on the agenda was keeping the laundry. Lucas put his Liked Songs on shuffle as he folded all the clothes, dancing to the familiar opening of SHINee's _Good Evening_ as he sorted his and Renjun's and Lihua's in neat piles. Lihua's socks were so small, he giggled to himself as he rolled the pairs. He could easily fit 8 rolls into one hand. Renjun's pile was a combination of his sweaters and turtlenecks, his favorite Burberry shirt and old shorts. 

Once everything was returned to their rightful drawers and hangers, Lucas moved on to dusting. He was usually the one doing the dusting on their family cleaning days because he didn't need a ladder or chair to reach the higher surfaces (years into their marriage and he _still_ found it cute when Renjun needed one). Crush's _Nappa_ started to play as Lucas dusted all their little picture frames and figurines one by one. He held each one carefully, making sure not to miss a spot. He stared down at one of his favorite photos--a selfie captured on film, Lucas with his eyes closed and a massive grin on his face as Renjun pressed a kiss to his cheek. Behind them, the ocean glittered in the afternoon sunlight. 

_God,_ Lucas thought to himself. _I love him._

The sudden introduction of _Yeah!_ by Usher startled Lucas out of his reverie, and he hastily went back to his chores. He had no time to be fawning over Renjun’s beauty. It took him the next three hours to vacuum and mop the whole apartment—sans the kitchen, because there were still things to be done later—until the floors were sparkling and the scent of citrusy air freshener reached every corner.

Lucas assessed his work before giving himself a pat on the back for a job well done. His takeout should be arriving any second now, and he could sit down and take a break, maybe look for a dinner recipe as he ate. Lihua would be ending school early today, which gave them plenty of time to complete the rest of the things on their list. 

As he waved farewell to the deliveryman and set his lunch on the dining table, his phone buzzed with a message from the little devil. They’d finally decided to give her a proper phone on her last birthday, and all of her texts were supplemented with a barrage of enthusiastic kaomojis (Kun’s fault, honestly). 

**_princess lihua <3_ **

daddy!!

ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ

remember that school ends at 1 hehe (✧ω✧)

**_sushi chef_ **

yes, sweetheart, i know

put your phone away and pay attention in class

**_princess lihua <3_ **

fiiiiiiiine 

(╥_╥)

Lucas chuckled. As he sat down to enjoy his meal, he thought about what to cook for dinner. Hotpot was Renjun’s favorite, but it was a little cliche. And they had it last week. Chinese food? Korean? Western?

“So many options,” Lucas muttered to himself, browsing through his bookmarked recipes folder. The next hour was going to be long. 

He was ten minutes late. 

Lihua stood outside her schoolgate looking _very_ unimpressed, arms folded and one eyebrow raised. Lucas smiled sheepishly as he rolled the window down.

“How was school, darling?”

She frowned as she opened the passenger seat and climbed in. “I reminded you!” 

“I know,” Lucas sighed. He hadn’t meant to be late. He thought he could quickly do a grocery run before heading to school but he got over-excited and bought too many things. It also didn’t help that the aunties were generous with the food samples today. 

Luckily, Lihua was quick to forgive when it came to her dads. In five minutes, she had Pinterest open on her phone, reading out cookie recipes like they were raps. 

“Cake batter Oreo? Wow, caramel apple cookies? People are so creative!”

“Mhm.” Lucas’ attention was on the driver in front, who was driving excruciatingly slow for no reason.

“Banana bread cookies? Aren’t those just banana cookies? Where's the bread?”

I dunno, sweetie.” He had half a mind to honk at him. 

“Ooh! This is it! Butterscotch cookies! Daddy, let’s make these ones.” 

Lucas stepped on the gas, taking an opening and successfully manoeuvring around the cursed car. He glanced over at Lihua’s phone, where a tantalising picture of half melted butterscotch chips oozing out of a cookie was displayed.

“Sure, sweetheart. We can make butterscotch cookies for Papa. He’s got a really big sweet tooth, after all.”

What was intended to be a quick pit stop at the neighborhood florists turned into twenty minutes of Lihua agonizing over what flowers to get for her Papa. Lucas decided to let her choose, because Lord knows how many websites he's browsed in the entirety of their relationship, researching flower meanings. 

She eventually settled on red tulips (and _not_ because they were her favorite Animal Crossing flower). Her eyes had lit up once the florist explained that they represented deep rooted, eternal feelings for someone.

"You'll love Papa forever, right Daddy?"

"With my entire being, I promise."

Baking was, thankfully, less of a headache than Lucas expected. Lihua was very precise with the measurements, determined to get every step right. Renjun often joked that she inherited his perfectionist ways. 

"Dad, are you and Papa soulmates?"

She also inherited his tendency to ask difficult questions. 

Lucas looked up from his spot by the dining table, where he was writing a simple card for Renjun. He tapped his cheek with his pen, thinking carefully for a moment before he replied, "I think so."

" _Think so?_ " she pouted, clearly unsatisfied. "You mean you're not sure?"

"I meant that I'm not sure if soulmates actually exist. But if they do, then of course we are." He finished his message with a tiny heart next to his name and tucked the card into the bouquet, carefully hiding it amongst the flowers. 

Lihua blinked, pausing mid-scoop. "I thought everyone had a soulmate. Like someone you're meant to be with? The One?" 

Lucas walked over, gently taking the scoop of cookie batter and putting it on the baking sheet for her. 

"Someone's been watching too much TV," he teased, ruffling her hair. 

"Soulmates are real," she huffed. "I just know it."

Lucas slipped an oven mitt on and took the first batch out. Golden and warm, perfectly baked. "Alrig-"

"I can see it in your eyes whenever you look at Papa."

Lucas nearly dropped the cookies. He looked back at Lihua, who was now sitting on the counter and swinging her legs.

"You do?"

"Yeah!" She opened a packet of Oreos and began munching one. "You always stare at Papa with this _look_. Like you would write a million songs about him. And he looks at you like you invented… French toast, or something. I dunno."

Lucas stood there, speechless. 

"All I know is that you guys were meant to be! Perfectly perfect. Like this Oreo!" she held it up. "You guys are the cookies. I'm the cream that completes the whole thing! I'm also the best part." 

“Well,” Lucas smiled, “I can’t argue with that.”

His phone buzzed with a notification from Renjun, which meant that he was on his way home already.

**_baobei_ **

today was tiring :((

i'm so glad the week is over

**_loml_ **

babe :( 

snuggle time tonight? 

**_baobei_ **

yes please

**loml**

<3

Lucas pocketed his phone. They still had lots to do. "Let's finish up dinner before Papa gets back, princess."

Lihua saluted him again. "Aye aye, captain!"

He rang the doorbell a few minutes past six, and Lucas had just finished dressing up. He heard Lihua scurrying to the living room to shut the lights off. 

"He's here!" she hissed.

Lucas assessed his reflection. Maroon suit pants and a white button down, slicked back hair and just a touch of silver on his wrist and ears. Nothing too fancy, but it _was_ a date night. 

As an afterthought, he unbuttoned the top two buttons. Renjun did like his chest, after all.

He hurried out of his room into the dark house, taking a deep breath before picking up the tulip bouquet on the dining table. His heart was hammering for some reason, as if it were his first time surprising Renjun. 

Lihua hid behind him, peeking out expectantly. The lock clicked open, and Renjun stepped into the doorway. 

"Xuxi?" He called, peering into the dark. "Lihua? Why are the lights off…?"

As soon as he switched the lights on, Lihua rushed forward, slamming into Renjun and hugging him tight. 

"HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, PAPA!" 

Lucas laughed as he watched her pull Renjun down by his scarf so she could plant a big, wet smooch on his cheek.

Renjun removed his scarf, eyes wide as he noticed Lucas and his outfit. 

"Wha-"

Lucas smiled, stepping forward to hand Renjun the flowers. "Happy Valentine's Day, baobei." 

Renjun took the bouquet, swallowing thickly as Lucas wrapped his arms around him. "I totally forgot," he mumbled. 

Lihua came rushing back from the kitchen with a large jar in her hands. "Daddy cleaned the house and we baked cookies for you!" 

"You did?" Renjun looked up at Lucas, mild surprise written on his face. 

"Took the day off just to surprise you, my love. Totally worth it."

Renjun's eyes softened and he brought a hand to Lucas' cheek. Lucas immediately leaned into his touch. "I adore you," he murmured quietly, leaning up to kiss him. Lucas closed his eyes, sighing against Renjun's lips as they kissed repeatedly.

"Ehem," Lihua cleared her throat, clearly disturbed. "Is Uncle Markie arriving soon?"

Renjun pulled away. "Mark?"

Lucas smiled sheepishly, a little breathless from the kiss. "I told her she could sleep over with the Lee twins." 

The doorbell rang again, and Lucas opened it to Mark, handsome as always in his favorite hoodie. 

Mark waved shyly. "Nice flowers, Jun." 

Renjun smiled. "Thanks."

Mark looked behind them to smile at Lihua. "Ready to go?"

Lihua grinned, grabbing her bag and stuffed rabbit from the coffee table. "Yes!" 

She gave both of her fathers a hug before grabbing Mark's hand. "Aren't you and Uncle Duckie gonna celebrate Valentine's?" 

Mark chuckled, swinging their hands as they walked to the elevator. "You should ask him about the breakfast in bed that he made for me."

"Did he make pancakes?"

"Waffles, actually."

"Wow!"

Once they had left and the front door was shut, Renjun set his stuff down and took a seat on the sofa. He scanned the living room, appreciating the cleanliness. 

"You really did this all by yourself?" Renjun asked, removing his scarf. 

Lucas sat down beside him. "Of course. I even mopped the floor." He grinned as Renjun slowly climbed into his lap. 

"That," Renjun murmured, trailing his fingers across Lucas' bare chest, "Is very sexy."

He lifted Lucas' chin to kiss him once more, sucking on his upper lip, licking over his teeth. Lucas instantly moved his hands down to Renjun's ass, resting his fingers over the curve. 

"I've missed this," Renjun sighed when they parted, slumping against Lucas' shoulder. "I've missed us."

Lucas smiled, combing through Renjun's hair, nails gently grazing his scalp. They still had dinner to eat and the tteokbokki was getting colder by the second, but there was nothing Lucas loved more than sweet moments like this. The comforting scent of Renjun's cologne, the way his body felt against Lucas' fingertips. The simple intimacy of holding your loved one close and being held in return.

"We should eat," Lucas whispered. He almost didn't want to get up, not after listening to the synchronised beating of their hearts. Renjun's breathing had slowed down, so relaxed and steady that for a moment, Lucas thought he had fallen asleep.

Renjun sat up, smoothing out both their shirts, fixing their hair. "Was that samgyeopsal I spotted on the table?" 

Lucas, unable to resist the urge, snuck a quick peck before Renjun stood up. "Your favorite, I know. Was gonna fry fish but I didn't have time to go to the market." 

"That's alright," Renjun shrugged, walking over to the dining table. Then, unexpectedly, he dipped his finger in the tteokbokki sauce and lifted it to his mouth. Lucas' mouth went dry as Renjun stared into his eyes, innocently sucking on his finger before releasing it with a loud ' _pop_.' 

Lucas gulped. His pants suddenly felt a little tight.

"I'll give you something _extra sweet_ for dessert later."

**Author's Note:**

> happy valentines day <3
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/takadactyl)  
> 


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